


Coming Home and Coming Out

by tooberjoober



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Accidental Outing, Annie has a gf because all her crushes feel like comphet, Coming Out, M/M, Reunion Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:40:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24451489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tooberjoober/pseuds/tooberjoober
Summary: Abed is gay, Troy is bi, Annie is a lesbian, Shirley is trying to be supportive, Jeff is (still) an asshole, and Britta is (still) the worst.Troy is finally back from his trip, and while some things have changed, others are still very much the same.
Relationships: Troy Barnes & Abed Nadir, Troy Barnes/Abed Nadir
Comments: 21
Kudos: 240





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hi! After bingeing the show, I started writing this because I really like Troy and Abed and I love writing coming out stories. This is my first community fic so hopefully it’s not too bad. I’m expecting it to be about three chapters and I’ve got most of the next chapter written so yeah.
> 
> But yeah, let me know what you think! Hopefully you’ll enjoy and if you do, let me know! K thanks, bye!

Abed looked down at his phone. He pulled up the tracker app. He thought it was a bit strange how his friends all threw a big fuss when he originally put trackers on them, but now they all allow themselves to be tracked with dumb apps like "find my friends" and others. He still preferred his trackers. This way, he still knew where they were, even if they lost their phones.

After the group split up, Abed had gotten into the habit of checking in on their locations at the end of every week. There was something so comforting about the slowly beeping dots, reassuring him of his friends' continued presence in his life, despite their distance. The first place he checked on the map was Colorado. There were still three dots there, beeping back at him. Even though Jeff would never admit it, he enjoyed teaching (if you could call it that) at Greendale and occasionally getting into hijinks. Britta was still working as a bartender and working towards eventually becoming a therapist. She was getting better at it, but she had a ways to go still. Thankfully, Pierce's dot hadn't moved since the funeral. Originally, Abed had been a bit frustrated he hadn't managed to get the tracker back, but then he realized that this gave him a head start if the zombie apocalypse ever started. Shirley's dot still beeped away in Atlanta, and from her last update on her spin-off, things were going well. It wasn't easy taking care of three kids and a troubled detective, but the work was apparently very fulfilling. Annie's dot beeped away in DC. Her internship had quickly turned into a job that she technically wasn't allowed to talk about, although she had consulted on a few episodes Abed directed for a cop show.

Abed’s eyes scanned the map for the last dot, Troy’s. Abed took in slightly more air than usual as he saw Troy’s dot drifting down the west coast, approaching California. He swallowed, ignoring the way his heart started to beat a little faster. He navigated off of the tracking app and onto his messages. It had been a week or so since he had last heard from Troy, but if he was anywhere near the coast, he could get signal any minute now.

”Is there any chance your maritime adventures with LeVar Burton are coming to an end?” Abed texted, trying not to get too excited. He waited a few minutes without a response. He switched to text the rest of the group. “Troy might be approaching the end of his voyage.” He waited a few more minutes, but there was no response to that message either. He remembered the time difference, and that most of his friends were probably asleep or settling in for the night. He let out a huff, getting up and starting to pace around his apartment, his hands beginning to fidget as he thought about what Troy coming back would look like.

He had a lot to talk to Troy about. There were a lot of movies and shows he needed to show his friend, not even mentioning his own small accomplishments. The hijinks and shenanigans that Abed found himself involved in since Troy left. Abed’s realization about his sexuality came after Troy left. That was a chance for an homage to a classic movie coming out scene. Maybe Troy would even play along for a bit and do the in denial straight person trope from almost every pre-2010s sitcom that featured queer people. Although Abed kind of hoped he didn’t. He thought briefly about trying to set up an homage to _Love, Simon,_ but he doubted Troy would’ve seen the movie since came out during his trip. It could still be fun to come out on a Ferris wheel though. He shook his head, letting out a sigh. 

Abed had come out a lot over the past few years, and sometimes it was easy, but he couldn’t help but think about the worst case scenario. On the one hand, Troy was his best friend, the person that knew and loved him best. On the other hand, Troy was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness, and that didn’t exactly bode well for this. Abed would have to text Annie and see if she had come out to Troy yet. Although, knowing Annie, she might just be waiting for him to pick up on the fact that she didn’t use ‘girlfriend’ platonically. Britta was still behind on that front, which was hilarious due to her die-hard ally status.

Abed finally moved to check his phone, a smile coming to his face as he saw a message there from Troy. 

”Abed, are you tracking me again?” 

”You allow yourselves to be tracked.” Abed responded quickly. “Besides, if I hadn’t tracked you in the first place, you might still be with those pirates.” 

”You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Abed rolled his eyes slightly at his friend. Pirates were very cool. But these pirates had been less so. They had also been slightly incompetent, but that ended up being for the best. “And yes, I’m finally almost done. I should be in LA this time next week.” 

Abed forgot everything he had been worried about, a grin coming onto his face that was so wide, it threatened to split open his face. He was so happy he felt like he was vibrating. _Troy was coming home._

The phone buzzed again in his hand. “I can stay with you, right?” 

”Duh doi.” Abed texted back. “Troy and Abed reunited.” He sent with music notes on either side of the text. 

”I’m excited!” Abed could practically see Troy’s smile, as if it was burned into his memory. “Look, I was gonna try to surprise you, but the others already know. They’re coming to LA to meet up too.” 

”Sorry I ruined the surprise.” 

”It’s fine. I was having a hard time keeping it from you anyways.” Another message popped up. “I gotta sleep some before it’s my turn to drive, but I can’t wait to see you buddy.” Three big red hearts followed the message, Troy’s signature sign off. 

”I can’t wait either.” Abed responded. “Goodnight, Troy.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m glad y’all seemed to like the last chapter! Hopefully this is equally enjoyable. This has the actual reunion. It also has some minor homophobia from Jeff and an accidental outing, so uh be warned for that.
> 
> The last chapter, should be up soon after this. Anyways I hope you enjoy! And if you do, let me know!!!

* * *

Annie came early, and met Abed at his apartment. “Abed!” She exclaimed as she moved to give the taller man a hug. “It feels like it’s been so long.” 

”I know what you mean.” Abed said, patting her back lightly. “Christmas seems like ages ago.” The group had met up in Atlanta to celebrate the winter holidays, but that was almost half a year ago. 

”How excited are you that Troy is coming back?” Annie asked with a smile, pulling away from the hug and walking into Abed’s apartment. 

”Very excited.” Abed nodded. After a moment, he spoke again. “Annie, have you come out to Troy yet?” He asked. 

Annie blinked back some surprise. “Oh… well…” She twisted a piece of hair around her finger, biting her lip awkwardly. “Well… I know I’ve mentioned my girlfriend in texts, but–“ 

”You don’t know if he’s Britta-ed it.” Abed nodded. 

”She’s gotta realize soon, right?” Annie said in a hushed tone. “Like… we have pictures on Instagram from Pride.” 

”I think she’s so caught up in not judging Rosie’s sexuality by her appearance that she’s refusing to acknowledge that that’s helpful sometimes.” Abed pointed out. 

”Maybe.” Annie laughed slightly. She looked up at Abed sympathetically, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You know Troy won’t care–“ 

”I don’t really.” Abed responded, starting to pace around the room, hands fidgeting. “He’ll probably come around to it, if he’s not okay with it to begin with, but things could change between us. He may decide that our friendship can’t be as it was–“ 

”Abed, Troy’s not that shallow.” Annie reassured him, moving to grab him by the shoulders. “He’s your friend and he loves you.” 

”Yeah.” Abed avoided her gaze. 

Annie rubbed his arms slightly, in a way she hoped was comforting. “He should be pulling in soon, are you ready to meet the others and head to the dock?” 

Abed took in a long, deep breath to steady himself, then he nodded. Everything would be okay. “Yeah.” 

* * *

They picked up Shirley, Jeff and Britta from their hotel. Hugs and greetings were exchanged before they all got back in the car Annie rented (Abed’s car was too small to fit them all) and started towards the dock. There was occasional quiet chatter here and there, but Abed wasn’t listening.

He hummed along to _Daybreak,_ even though Annie had turned off the radio so they could talk easier. He stared out the window, mind wandering. 

Shirley cleared her throat, shifting her bag in her lap. “Abed… I’m sure you’re excited to see Troy again.” She prompted sweetly. 

”Yeah.” Abed said. 

”Just yeah?” Jeff scoffed from the backseat. “You’re seeing your best friend for the first time in four years and that’s it?” 

”Jeff,” Annie said warningly, shooting a glare at him in the rear view mirror. 

”It’s alright.” Abed said, placing a reassuring hand on Annie’s arm. He looked back at the others in the mirror. “I’m nervous about seeing Troy.” He admitted. “We text all the time, but this is different. Maybe things will have changed between us. Maybe not.” Despite his words, his voice was calm. 

”And… you’re alright with that?” Britta asked slowly. 

”There’s nothing I can do to change any of it right now.” Abed responded. “What happens, happens. I can freak out once it does.” He said pointing a finger. 

”That’s ah… mature of you, Abed.” Shirley said with a hesitant smile. 

”Thank you.” Abed nodded, returning to staring out the window and humming. 

* * *

They arrived to the docks to see LeVar Burton getting into a car with his wife. Abed’s heart sped up, knowing that soon he would get to see Troy. They walked down the short length of beach to the pier, where Troy was unloading his belongings from the Childish Tycoon. Abed stopped in his tracks, seeing his best friend. 

”Troy.” He breathed out. 

The man caught sight of his friends and is similarly stunned into stillness for a moment. Then, in accordance with cliche, he started running. 

Abed started running too, his heart racing in his chest as they closed the distance between them. Abed had been studying reunion scenes from movies and viral videos about soldiers, but all of that flew out the window when he saw Troy. They met in the middle, just before the pier. They stopped running before crashing into each other, so there weren’t any injuries. Troy seemed to look at Abed uncertainly, as if he was looking for permission. Abed responded by pulling him into a close, tight hug. 

Troy immediately returned the embrace, holding Abed as closely as he could. It was almost like they were both afraid it was a dream they would wake up from. As though the other was the only tether to reality. “Hi Abed.” He murmured into the man’s shoulder. 

”Hi Troy.” Abed responded, squeezing tighter. 

The rest of the group jogged up to join them. The girls joined the hug readily, Shirley and Britta forcing a fake reluctant Jeff to join to group hug. 

Troy looked up at Abed and grinned, eyes brimming with unshed tears. “I missed you guys so much.” He said, earning a round of ‘aw’s from the women and one more tight squeeze from Abed. 

They separated, everyone talking a mile a minute. Abed actually looked at Troy. He had grown up, like they all had. His hair was longer, he had stubble on his cheeks. He was still Troy though, that Abed could tell immediately. Abed looked down, reaching out and taking Troy’s hand in his own. He glanced up to his friend’s face to see if it was okay. Troy grinned, squeezing the hand. 

They all started walking back towards the car, everyone carrying something of Troy’s. Troy regaled them with stories of things that reminded him of his friends while he was at sea, and listened intently to the updates to his friends’ lives, his fingers still entwined with Abed’s.

Abed briefly let go of Troy’s hand to scramble into the back of the car, waiting for Troy to climb in after him. Afterwards Abed’s hand twitched slightly, and he reached out, looking questioningly at Troy. Troy nodded with a smile. Abed entwined their fingers once again, putting their hands in his lap. “It just… it doesn’t feel real.” He mused softly. 

”I can pinch you.” Troy offered lightly, holding up his fingers as though he were planning on pinching Abed. 

”This is good.” Abed responded with a shake of his head, squeezing Troy’s hand again. 

Jeff groaned from the front seat. “God, I forgot how ga–“ He stopped himself. “Lame you two were.” 

”What was that first thing you were saying, Jeffrey?” Annie asked, voice sickly sweet. Troy looked slightly uncomfortable, rubbing the back of his neck. Britta and Shirley joined in scolding Jeff. 

“Hey! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it like that, it just slipped out.” Jeff said holding up his hands. “I sincerely apologize.” There was a long awkward period of quiet in the car, mumbling from Shirley, Britta, and Annie about Jeff’s behavior. 

Troy cleared his throat loudly. “Speaking of… Annie, when am I gonna get to meet Rosie?” He asked with a small grin. Abed felt nerves ooze away and a small sense of comfort and joy fill him with Troy’s innocent question. 

”Troy!” Britta gasped. “I’m surprised at you! You are a cultured, well-traveled man. You should know not to judge someone based on their appearance.” 

The rest of the car groaned. Troy looked confused. Abed leaned over. “Britta thinks Annie’s been using the word ‘girlfriend’ platonically.” He whispered. 

”Gotcha.” Troy whispered back with a nod. 

”Well…” Annie looked into the mirror with a small excited smile on her face. “I was gonna bring her here, but she didn’t want to take over your coming home.” She bit her bottom lip, trying to hide her smile. “But… we have been talking a lot lately about the future and well… I think once I get my next paycheck, I’m gonna start looking at rings.” She grinned. 

There were rounds of “Congratulations” throughout the car. Shirley looking giddy at the prospect of a wedding, though she didn’t know exactly what a lesbian wedding would look like, she wanted to support her friends. Jeff rolled his eyes slightly at the prospect of commitment. Britta looked confused. 

”Wait…” Britta said, piecing together the different parts. 

”Oh my god, Britta!” Annie laughed. “I’m a lesbian! I started dating Rosie after I started my job. I thought calling her my girlfriend in combination with her undercut and flannels would get through to you.” 

”What?” Britta exclaimed in surprise. “No way! I have a great gaydar!” She argued. 

Troy snorted out a laugh. “No you don’t.” He shook his head. 

”You really don’t.” Abed agreed. 

”Remember Paige?” Jeff asked, sending the car into fits of laughter at Britta’s expense. 

”Fuck you guys!” Britta exclaimed. 

Shirley gasped. “Language, Britta!” The car erupting into arguments. 

Abed smiled, looking down at where Troy’s hand was between his own. Everything felt right and perfect. 

”Well– I knew Abed was gay before he came out!” Britta exclaimed over the ruckus of the car. 

”Britta!” Annie snapped. 

Abed stiffened, dropping Troy’s hand as though it burned. His breaths became more labored and a whine built in the back of his throat and it was everything Abed could do not to let it out. His heart was racing and everything else was a blur. He couldn’t bare to look at Troy. He didn’t care if Troy didn’t care. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. 

There was a hand on his shoulder and he heard someone calling his name. “Abed?” Troy called repeatedly, squeezing his friend’s shoulder lightly. “Abed? Buddy?” 

”Fuck, shit, I’m so sorry.” Britta’s voice was far away. “I didn’t mean to–“ 

“Abed, it’s alright.” Troy tried to reassure him, rubbing circles on his back. “Abed, buddy, I don’t care–“ 

Abed swallowed, gulping for breaths. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. ”Abed, you gotta breathe, buddy.” Troy said. “In and out.” 

It wasn’t working. ”Abed–“ Troy didn’t know what to say to get Abed down from wherever he was. “I’m bisexual.” He blurted out. 

Abed wasn’t hyperventilating anymore. He had stopped breathing entirely. That wasn’t something he had considered. His eyes flickered around the car, and he realized at some point they had moved into a parking lot and had stopped moving. He saw the concerned faces of his friends and then he looked at Troy. Troy’s panic and concern. “What?” Abed said, looking up at his friend. 

Troy let out a long breath, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well… that wasn’t how I wanted this to go. But I guess that’s not how you wanted it to go either.” He shot a quick look at the apologetic Britta. “While I was out traveling, I realized… I’m bi.” He shrugged awkwardly. “I was gonna tell you guys, but I wanted to wait and do it face to face. I didn’t think it’d be like this, but… I’m glad you know.” He shrugged again. 

Abed was finding his breath again. He stared at Troy before he averted his gaze. “I was… worried. About how you’d react. That it would change things.” He said slowly. 

”Abed, that’s ridiculous.” Troy said softly, smiling at his friend. “You’re my best friend. I’m gonna love you no matter what.”

”That’s always what people say, but it’s not always true.” The words hung in the air uncomfortably, no one knowing quite what to say. 

After Annie got back on the road, Britta turned to Abed. “I’m so so sorry.” She said seriously. “I didn’t know… and I know that’s no excuse, but–“ 

”It’s alright.” Abed tried to wave her off. 

”It’s really not.” Britta responded. “I thought you were out to everyone, but I had no right to make that assumption or act on it. I’m really sorry, Abed.” 

”I forgive you.” Abed said. Britta smiled slightly at him, putting a hand on his knee and squeezing lightly before turning back around. 

Annie cleared her throat. “So Troy… did you meet anyone special on your trip?” 

”Well…” Troy rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, a sheepish smile on his face. Abed watched him curiously. “I had a couple of… flings.” 

Shirley raised an eyebrow, shaking her head slightly. “Now, you know I love and support you all with your various sexualities, but I will not support this sort of promiscuity!” 

“Oh, come on!” Britta exclaimed. The car burst into lively conversation.

Abed sat back, glad that he was no longer the center of attention. He watched his friends for a moment before finally looking over to Troy. Troy was grinning slightly, watching as the conversation turned to heated debates. 

”Things never change, huh?” He chuckled, offering his hand to Abed. 

Abed accepted, eyes flickering from their hands to the group. “I guess not.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter! I like how I ended it, so I hope you do too!  
> But yeah! Let me know what you think! And maybe I’ll write more for community one day…

"Thanks for coming out to see me. We'll meet up tomorrow before y'all leave. Alright, bye!" Troy called to his friends as they stumbled out of Abed's apartment. Abed closed the door, letting out a relieved breath.

"Yeah." Troy agreed, shaking his head slightly. "I forgot how exhausting they can be." He let out a soft laugh.

“How tired are you?” Abed asked, tilting his head slightly.

”Not tired enough to fall asleep.” Troy grinned.

“Cool. Cool cool cool.” Abed nodded. “I’m gonna go shower and put on pajamas. You can change into your pajamas in the blanket fort.” Abed tilted his head. “Unless you also wanna shower–“

Troy shook his head. “Nah, I’m good.”

Abed nodded. He was glad their routine hadn’t changed. Troy showered in the morning, Abed showered at night. All things were balanced. “Okay, I’m gonna go then.” Abed said, moving to grab his green UFO pajamas. They were a bit warm for summer in LA, but the callback demanded it. “If you wanna make popcorn while I’m in there, it’s on the top shelf of the pantry.”

”Sounds good.” Troy nodded, extending his hand to Abed, other hand on his chest. They did their handshake, and all felt right with the world.

* * *

Abed rushed through his shower. He knew he had all the time in the world to spend with Troy now, but once the time started he didn’t want it to stop. It was almost like he was afraid if he looked away for too long Troy would disappear.

Abed strained his ears for the telltale sign of his friend. He felt relief flood his chest as he distantly heard Troy singing about popcorn to the tune of “Daybreak.” Troy had travelled the world, but he hadn’t changed so much. He hadn’t found a catchier song.

”I’m popping popcorn! I’m popping pop! I’m popping popcorn! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop pop!” Troy sang gleefully.

Abed stepped hesitantly out of the bathroom, watching Troy as if he was something new and amazing. Like the first time Abed had watched _Inspector Spacetime._ He couldn’t take his eyes off the man, standing there in his orange and blue pajamas, so alike the old Troy in some ways, but so different in others. Abed swallowed.

”Hey!” Troy grinned, stepping out of the little kitchen area, bowl of popcorn in hand. “That was fast.”

”I wanna spend as much time with you as possible before–“ Abed didn’t know where he was going with that.

”Before what?” Troy asked, brow furrowed.

”Before you move on again.” Abed looked down.

Troy frowned slightly. “Well… I didn’t really have any plans to move on again.” He looked up at Abed. “Does my crashing here have an expiration date?”

Abed shook his head quickly. “I want you here as long as you wanna be here.” He said before biting his tongue.

”I don’t wanna leave you again.” Troy admitted. “Those first few weeks… months… they were rough. I didn’t realize how much I’d miss you till I was already gone.”

"That's gay." Abed joked, before realizing that Troy had never heard him make a gay joke before.

Troy looked up at Abed, a frown crossing his features for the briefest of moments before he realized. Then a grin spread across his face and he let out a loud laugh. "A whole new dimension of humor has opened up to us." Troy said.

"Diversity only makes us stronger." Abed said, posing like a villain finishing his evil speech.

Abed and Troy moved to sit down at Abed's couch. It was fairly small so there wasn't much space between them, Troy balancing the bowl of popcorn on their legs. "Alright, so, what do you wanna watch first?" Abed asked, turning the tv on and flicking through streaming services. "We can watch some new _Inspector Spacetime_ , or one of the new Marvel movies you missed, or–"

"I wanna watch something you made." Troy responded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Abed swallowed, feeling his heart beat a little faster as he felt Troy's warm gaze. "Cool. Cool, cool, cool." He flicked through streaming services until he found it. "My first directing gig was for this shitty cop show, _N.C.I: This Again._ I had PA'ed and AD'ed for the show a couple of times and after one particularly rough episode to assistant direct, they gave me a shot at directing my own episode.” He explained. “I was working with a lazy script, but I’m still pretty proud of how it turned out otherwise.” Abed pressed play, the opening theme and credits beginning to play. 

Normally in cases like this, Abed would be giving background information and fun facts, but he stayed silent. His eyes flickered between the tv and Troy, watching for any sign of emotion from his friend.

Troy smiled throughout the whole episode. The credits started rolling and he cheered when he saw Abed’s name. “I’m so proud of you, buddy!” He grinned, wrapping an arm around Abed’s shoulders. “Everything about the… the frames! And the way it was lit! And the way the actors were saying things!” Troy grinned. “It was so good.” 

”Thanks.” Abed looked away. Troy’s kindness and sincerity was almost overwhelming. “You wanna watch the other ones I did for them?” 

”Duh doi.” Troy responded, eyes shining with fondness. 

* * *

Troy and Abed got through two more episodes before they ran out of popcorn and started yawning. Abed let out a long yawn as the credits scrolled past. “Are you ready for bed?” He asked. 

”Yeah.” Troy nodded, fighting back a yawn of his own. “You got any blankets you can spare?” 

”What do you mean?” Abed furrowed his brow. 

”What do you mean?” Troy responded. 

”You’re not sleeping on the couch.” Abed said. “You can sleep in my bed.” 

”I won’t take your bed.” Troy rolled his eyes. 

”You will if you don’t wanna share.” Abed retorted. 

”Ah.” Troy looked down sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Alright.” 

”Cool. Cool cool cool.” Abed nodded. “Race ya.” He said, jumping up and sprinting to his blanket fort. 

”No fair!” Troy exclaimed following after him. 

”I win.” Abed said, from where he had already flopped onto his bed. 

”You cheated.” Troy retorted, crawling into bed beside him. “We need to have a rematch where we both know we’re racing.” 

”Acceptable terms.” Abed nodded his agreement, worming his way under the covers. For a moment he laid on his side and just stared at Troy. “I can’t believe you’re home.” He said softly. 

Troy rolled over to face Abed. “Me neither.” Troy could’ve pointed out that this was the first time he’d ever been to LA, but he knew what Abed meant. And really, wherever Abed was was home enough. Despite living on that boat for nearly four years, it never felt as much like home as the apartment he shared with Abed. 

For a long moment they lived in the comfortable silence, both rolling to lie on their backs. Then Troy finally spoke the words he had been waiting to ask. Maybe now wasn’t the right time, but he didn’t know how he’d sleep with the question wrinkling his brain. “When’d you figure out you were gay?” He asked softly. 

”Not too long after you left.” Abed admitted, swallowing. “After you left, I started dating this girl, Rachel. She was really nice and cool and pretty and I knew I should feel something for her. By all means I should’ve been in love with her, but I just… wasn’t.” Abed shrugged. “I tried to force it for a bit, because I thought sometimes that’s how things are, but it just… wasn’t working.” He let out a sigh. 

”Oh.” Troy said quietly. The thought of Abed dating a girl was weird. It made his stomach stir and sink, even though he knew how it ended. 

”How’d you realize you were bi?” Abed asked, hoping it came across as polite and chill rather than the burning curiosity he felt. 

”It was also a little bit after I left.” Troy answered after a moment of hesitation. “I had been thinking that I might be attracted to guys for about a year or so before that, but ya know, I didn’t feel comfortable exploring or considering it. Then all of a sudden, I’m thrust onto this life changing journey and… I have the chance to explore. If I was visiting towns there was an easy way to figure things out without too many consequences.” 

“I see.” Abed said with a slow nod. His heart felt heavy in his chest. “Did you… did you find anyone special out there?” 

Troy held back a small smile. “Abed…” He turned his head to look at the man. “There’s no one more special to me than you.” 

Abed felt his heart lift and flutter in his chest. “I feel the same way.” He said, head turning to meet Troy’s gaze. 

A lopsided grin took over Troy’s face. “Abed, I missed you a lot.” 

”I missed you too, Troy.” Abed responded, reaching over to entwine their fingers together. 

”I don’t… I don’t wanna be away from you like that again.” Troy confessed, squeezing Abed’s hand softly. 

”I also don’t want that.” Abed said. 

They stared at each other. “Can I kiss you?” Troy asked. 

”I’d like that.” Abed nodded. 

They met in the middle of the bed, the lightest brushing of lips as the end of years of buildup, self-discovery and friendship. Both of them had kissed several people before, but this kiss felt like home. 

”I’ve been waiting a long time to do that.” Troy said softly as he pulled away. 

”Me too.” Abed smiled softly, squeezing Troy’s hand and leaning in to kiss him again.


End file.
